The news Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans should provide some ammunition to low-profile Dallas billionaire Elaine Marshall. Like her late husband, Pierce Marshall, she contends that published estimates of the family’s wealth are wildly high. “Ridiculous,” is how she characterized Bloomberg News’ 2012 estimate that Mrs. Marshall was worth $12.7 billion. This year, they upped it to $14.9 billion.

But over at Forbes, they are more restrained. The new Forbes list clocks Elaine Marshall & family with a net worth of $8.3 billion.

Family trusts for her and her sons own about 16 percent of the enormous privately held firm Koch Industries.

The company is controlled by brothers David Koch (Forbes estimate $36 billion) and Charles Koch (also $36 billion). But Koch Industries shares do not trade openly and the Koch brothers reportedly pour 90 percent of the earnings back into the business.

Elaine Marshall and Pierce Marshall appearing in court in litigation against Anna Nicole Smith in 2000

Bloomberg News is not backing away from its contention that low-profile Dallasite Elaine Marshall is the fourth wealthiest woman in America through her family’s holdings in privately held Koch Industries. In fact, it has just upped its assessment of her net worth by more than $2 billion—from $12.7 billion last fall to $14.9 billion today.

Mrs. Marshall is the widow of Pierce Marshall, the modest, buttoned-down Dallasite who got drawn into tabloid-ready litigation with stripper and Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith who married his 89-year-old father, Howard Marshall, when she was 26.

The elder Marshall, who controlled a large chunk of Koch Industries stock, died in 1995. Pierce Marshall died in 2006 after years of legal battles with Smith who sought a sizeable share of Howard Marshall’s estate. Smith died in 2007, yet the litigation goes on.

Contacted by The News last September, Elaine Marshall issued a statement reiterating her and her family’s long-held contention that estimates of their worth are wildly high. “This is ridiculous,” she said of Bloomberg’s valuation. “But it doesn’t affect me or how I live. I will continue to live my life as I always have.”

Mrs. Marshall does not own any Koch stock in her name. But she controls trusts that hold about 16 percent of the company.

Brothers David Koch and Charles Koch control 42 percent each of Koch. According to Bloomberg, the brothers shares are worth $43.6 billion each, giving their majority interest only a slight premium value over the minority Marshall interest.